For months now I've been toying with the idea of getting a cat, possibly more than one. NYC has been going through a shelter crisis, and ... well... I wanted a kitteh.

I had decided while I was away that it was time to get this settled when I got home. Kid Flash was excited about it. Mark was excited about it... hell... even Mark's girlfriend was excited about it. This morning, after my first night in the city Kid Flash comes home from running and says "Hey, look who came to visit!" While he was running he spotted the kitten on the street, and it was friendly and loving and in need of love... so he came home with KF, and then home with me.

So now I have a new family member: Ted. I've named him after this Ted, not this one, (despite the joke in my title). KF is ambivalent about the name. I considered Creosote, and Sumi-E, and a few others, but... I think Ted is right.

He's probably a few months old, definitely out of the kitten phase, though he seems to have been weaned too early since he has a tendency to suck on my shirt, or a sheet whenever he is being petted or held. (Is that a habit to be broken, or left alone? The cat care websites seem to be split on it...)

I promise not to turn into a cat blogger. Though I guess this IS technically Friday Cat Blogging, and tomorrow IS Caturday...

3 Response to "Haaave You Met Ted?"

I have a 13 year old cat who's never been weaned of the 'wool-sucking,' as I heard it was called. It's just something she does when she's comfortable and happy, and it seems the same is true for Ted. If he's not damaging any property, I don't see why you would want to wean him. I've had a few cats [and so have some family members] who've done this, and it never intensified, so I don't think you need to be concerned.

Since he's a male cat, you will need to get him fixed soon. Otherwise, he'll likely take to 'spraying' your place and furniture and anything else lying around.

He goes to the vet Saturday for worming, AIDS/Lukemia testing/shots etc. etc. The vet is going to determine his age and let me know if he's old enough to be neutered, and if so an appointment will be made immediately.